User Reviews

Strengths: Remember, the last Tyax Elite's in the USA (the 2011's) sold for $650 and had Tektro hydraulic disk, Sram X-5 drivetrain, good wheels with Kenda tires, a solid (if heavy) fork with lockout, and decent to good components all over. Value is the biggest strength of this bike, along with the freshly redesigned fram from the 2010 model year, which is a fantastic improvement, and a worthy frame to build however your heart desires, lol.

Weaknesses: Keep in mind this is only a $650 bike, so its not going to have everything. The main gripes for me (and I'm nitpicking here) is the fact that the Suntour XCR LO weight is over 5 pounds, that's heavy for a 100mm fork. The stock cranks and BB are square taper, which at $650 is all you're going to get. Also, for true trail riding, you'll need to replace at least the front Kenda Small Block 8 with something a bit more aggressive for good steering and braking control as the SB8 is low on bite, especially on the front.

Bottom Line:

I've even posted a video review and updates on this bike on youtube, just search for "mongoosejake" to get my full opinions and review. For here, I'll sum it up by saying that while other more expensive bikes (say $1000) may beat this bike in stock performance, there arent many hardtails out there under $800 that will be as good as this one.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
joel

Date Reviewed: May 6, 2012

Strengths: the frame is solid and the perfect shape. i was very happy in purchasing this bike.

Weaknesses: the frame is fairly heavy, the disc brakes are terrible and the front derailer is quite weak

Bottom Line:

this bike was good for the price and i dont regret buying it one bit. although since purchase in 2009 i have upgraded alot of parts on the bike such as marzocchi dirt jumper 3 forks, truvativ crankset with bash guard, single speed conversion, halo combat rims and halo twin rail tyres, abr 40mm stem, pro fsr riser bars, octane bmx seat and shimano m446 hydraulic disc brakes. these things have made the bike superb for dirt jump, pumping and trails. great bike or the money and very pleased with its performance

Strengths: It's a well built bike overall with solid components. The frame is great, Alex rims are good, tires are great, crankset is solid so is the front shock etc. I also love the WTB speed V sport seat.

Weaknesses: Promax brakes aren't really anything to write home about also it's extremely hard to find pads for them. front derailleur is not great either and it should be replaced with something better. Other than that I wouldn't mind having some Deore shifters instead of Alivio but it's ok for the price.

Bottom Line:

It's a good bike for the price that has two noticeable weaknesses. The first one are Promax DSK-320 mechanical disc brakes which are quite hard to adjust, have relatively poor stopping power and are impossible to find the replacement pads for. The second one is the SR Suntour front derailleur which is well nothing like a solid SRAM/SHIMANO one you can believe me that.

Other than that the bike is great for some forest trails riding and you can always upgrade brakes and the front shock if you'd like to do some Freeriding.

Strengths: Good frame, strong wheels, nice fork. Feels good compared to a few other bikes I've tried.

Weaknesses: Brakes! The Promax Mechs are a nightmare! The tyres don't hold well, especially if you ride in a bit slippery terrain. The saddle is a disaster and the rails were too thin for the seatpost, had to replace it. I had problems with the bottom bracket, but none of the people I know that own this bike have had them, so I consider that to be bad luck. The front derailleur broke after 3-4 months, on flat ground while shifting to the third chainring.

Bottom Line:

Once I rode this for 4-5 months (3000km), I had a list of things to change. First to go were the brakes. I tried changing the pads with KoolStop ones, but there was no difference, the rear just kept blocking and i had to kick it in order to release the wheel. BB5 - No problems at all. I had real trouble with the bottom bracket, it was something with the screws, it wouldn't tighten up no matter how hard you tighten it. The chainrings and cassete held up for a year or so, so I changed them, no problems at all now. It's a pretty good bike. I have ridden on various types of terrain, from DH trails to XC race tracks, and it held out pretty good. All in all, it's a solid bike for its value and if you maintain it and always keep it in a mint condition, it will serve you well :). ATM, I have about 6-7000km, and it still rides as the first day i bought it. A perfect bike for beginners who want to get into mountain biking, but not for harcore bikers who want to get into racing.

I bought a 2010 Tyax (note there area few spec differences to US bikes) from the local Costco for my 10 yr old daughter and gotta say it's great - mainly because of the value.

For under $300 I think this is one of the better bikes I've found, and certainly better than the Jamis Trail I got for my son a couple of years back. My daughter loves it - which means she's not trying to climb up onto my Remedy 9 - so that means I'm lovin' it too!

I've never bought a bike from a store like Costco before but I really couldn't go past the value. For someone new to this sport or looking for a dependable bike to commute on and throw down the occasional trail you could do a lot worse than a Tyax - especially if it's under $300.00!

Remember it is an entry level bike, and as much as I when I say it's great I mean for that purpose and price point. Don't complain if it doesn't perform like a $2,000 bike because it isn't!

Weaknesses: Promax brakes.I think it is the worse thing in this bike.
Crank is near ground,so sometimes it hits liying trees or something.

Bottom Line:

I have this bike for 1 year and the only one problem - promax mechanical brakes.It's not a problem,but i want better brakes,so need to upgrade.Overall im doing everything i want with this bike and,after year,no problem :)

Strengths: The SRAM X.5 gearing, being a first time user of SRAM, I heard a lot of bad things over the years and had been Shimano loyal, however I have to say I will be sticking with SRAM from now on. The bike has a great feel to the frame, responds very well.

Once upgraded and kitted out with bar ends, computer, cages, etc. the bike is great, rides well, shifts clean, good for light cross country duties, suspension requires a little play to get it set up without a lot of rebound, but after a year of daily rides this is a nice bike that has performed well. Good solid machine, however the Promax brakes will not stop you in a hurry, so an upgrade is a good option. I have also read about parts come loose and snap, never had this issue and I am not the lightest rider. I would recommend this bike, having said this I spent a few dollars on upgrades to get a product that I liked. I will be buying another Mongoose, I will step up to a higher spec model without fail.

Weaknesses: Had problems with the brakes, had the calipers replaced but it turned out to be the rotors. They pulsed very badly, really noticable when braking with speed. Had them changed over and now they are fine. Although the LBS said they haven't had that issue before with this particular bike...

Bottom Line:

This was one of the better value for money bikes for a beginer i could find. I'll probably keep it for a year or so and then move on to a FS when i get my skills up. 2007 Model Recommended.